Hosiery knitting machine



Dec. 22, 1931. c, HILSCHER 1,837,867

HOS IERY KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 17 192 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 22,1931. c. HILSCHER HOSIERY KNITTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept.17, 1926 Kwdam Patented Dec; 22, 1931 CUBT BILSGHER, OF CHEMNITZ,GERMANY HOSIERY KNITTING MACHINE Application filed September 17, 1926,Serial fashioned stocking blank at various stagesof its formation.According to this publication and as well known in the hosiery knittingindustry, it has been customary to knit the welt and tapering legportion of the stocking blank down to the beginning of the instepportionin the usual way. Certain additional portions known as the heel tabshave then been knitted either on the same or on another machine ascontinuations of the narrowed ankle portion. Where two machines areused, the last formed loops marking the beginning of the instep portionor the lower end of the front side of the ankle portion are knocked off.Then, when the tabs have been completed, the loops forming the inneredges of said tabs and the knocked-off edge of the ankle portion arerearranged on a separate knitting machine known as a footer, whereuponthe foot and instep portions are added to the parts previously formed asdescribed.

Knitting of the entire stocking in a single machine is disclosed inBritish patent to Georg HilscherNo. 1,494 of 1913, and British patent toWilliam Edward Evans No. 23,170 of 1902. In the former, edge loops ofthe heel tab courses are engaged successively on transfer points mountedon a moving band which carries said points with an intermittent motionpast the heel tab knitting needles. After completion of the knitting andknocking off of the heel tabs or flaps, the band is reversed in onemovement to a position in which the edge loops may be transferred to theneedles at either side of the center or'instep group of needles. afterwhich knitting of the instep and foot continues. This transfer iseffected by a so-called tickler having transfer -Ho, 136, 188, and inGermany Kay 8, 1926.

needles 16 which enter the loops on the transfer points, remove them,and place said loops on the proper knitting needles.

According to the British patent to Evans, above mentioned, when the heeltabs'with one row of .dropped loops adjacent their inner edges are aboutto be formed, the tickler points 15 operate in the same manner asnarrowing points in ordinary knitting and then remain inoperative duringthe knitting of the tabs.- When the latter are knocked ofl, the enlargedopenings provided by the dropped loops are readily reset by hand on theknitting needles. Hilscher (British) performs this resetting operationby the transfer points and tickler above referred to.

In both of said British patents the needle bar has a hinged or rockingcentral section which is displaced to inoperative position duringknitting of the heel tabs and without knocking off the last formed loopsof the instep portion of the stocking. This arrangement, however,undoubtedly strains said last formed loops during the up-and-down andto-and-fro motions of the needle bar while the heel tab courses areknit-ted so that, where they are not actually broken, said loops areeither weakened or so distorted as to present a very undesirableappearance after knitting of the foot has been completed.

One object of my invention has been to provide improved apparatuswhereby foot and instep portions of a stocking blank, such as that shownin German Patent No. 152,390 of October 9, 1901, or as shown in any ofthe publications above mentioned, may conveniently be formedcontinuously with the leg portion in the same machine without removingthe blank and resetting it on a separate machine, or without resettingany of the loops on the same machine. For this purpose, the knittinginstrumentalities are so arranged and related that, when the knittingreaches the course or line of loops at which the central or instepportion was commonly knocked off in the two-machine method, these centerloops are not knocked off but remain hanging on their needles, and thelatter continues their up-and-down reciprocating motion but withoutbreaking, weakening or distorting said I tab extension. In this respectmy invention last formed loops during knitting of the heel presentsadvantages, particularly on fine or sheer hosiery, overtheconstructionsshown in the British patents to Evans and GeorgHilscher. Upon completion of the heel tabs, actuation of the necessaryinstrumentalities is resumed to continue the formation of the instep andfoot portions.

An embodiment of my invention includes the parts illustrated in thedrawings accompanying the present specification and in which: 7

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showlng my arrangement of'needles,sinkers, knockover bits and cover points adjacent line 11, Figure 5', atthe beginning of the formation of a new course of the heel tabs;

- Figure 2, a similar view showing the needles moving downwardly and thesinkers moving rearwardly and with'the cover points interposed aspressers between each heel tab. needle and its last formed loop;

Figure 3, a similar view showing the sinkers still moving rearwardly,the needles at their low position and the cover points moving upwardlyout of pressing relation;

Figure 4, a similar view showing the last formed heel tab loops engagedunder the needle beards and the parts ready for the needles to againmove upwardly to receive the next new loops;

Figure 5, a front elevation of the knockover bit assembly showing acentral portion thereof in displaced or retracted position, as duringknitting of the heel tabs of a stocking;

Figure 6, a view partly in section on the line a:m of Figure 5 showingportions of the knock-over bit assembly in the retracted position asduring knitting of the heel tabs; and

Figure 7, a view on the line w-w of Figure 5 showing the knock-over bitassembly parts in the relative positions occupied when the centerportion is in .normal knitting position, as during knitting of the legportion of the stocking.

In making full fashioned stocking blanks of the kind having heel tabs,for example, mfy machine forms the upper or leg portion 0 the stockingwith, its instrumentalities operating in the usual manner. However, whenthe knitting reaches the line of loops which marks the beginning of theinstep portion of the stocking and approximately the beginning of theupper line of the heel portion, then my apparatus discontinues orpostpones the formation of the instep portion and, without knocking offor distorting the last formed loops thereof, continues on with theformation of the heel tabs.

Referring now to the drawings and having in mind known forms .of fiatknitting machines, apparatus embodying my invention includes the usualbearded needles 6 cooperating with sinkers 7 between presser edges 12.

As indicated in Figure 5, the knock-over bit assembly includes a centralsection of knockover bits 1 and two lateral sections of knockover bits1, all mounted on the shaft 8. However, the central section for the-bits1 has a sleeve 9 eccentrically mounted on the shaft 8 and interposedbetween said carrier and said shaft. A lever 10 secured to said sleeveis movable to vary the angular position of the sleeve on shaft 8 andalso in relation to the bearings of the carrierfor bits 1. Thus, whenlever 10 is deflected by endwise movement of rod 11 to the position asindicated in Figure 6, the bits represented by 1 are in depressedorlowered position; whereas, when rod 11 is moved in the oppositedirection or to the position shown in Figure 7, the bits 1' are raisedor repositioned in ali ment with the bits 1. This adjustment o theknockover bits 1 will be utilized for a special purpose in connectionwith heel tab knitting hereinafter to be described.

With knock-over bits 1' de ressed to'the position shown in Figure 5 anas described, the yarn carriers (not shown) are readjusted by well knownmeans to feed am only to those needles upon which the eel tabs are to beformed. As shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, all the needles remaincontinuously out of engagement with the presser edges 12 while. the heeltabs are knitted so that the usual pressers 'are not utilized durin thisoperation to press the heel tab nee es 6. However, to knit the heeltabs, the needles on which these tabs are formed must be pressed at theproper time.

For this purpose, I utilize, as an auxiliary pressing device, the coverpoints 2 secured in the cover point carrier 3 opposite the heel tabneedles and mounted to move into and out of pressing engagement with theheel tab needles during knitting of the heel tabs substantially ashereinafter set forth.

The tab knitting and auxiliary resser operation will be best understoodby ollowing through the progressive steps of la ing and looping a'courseof yarn in one o the heel tabs, as indicated in Figures 1 to 4 in-.

elusive.

Figure 1 shows that the yarn for the new .course has been laid andpushed by the sinkers into a series of corrugations or loops 4 againstthe needles 6 delegated to knit the heel tabs. No yarn is laid oppositeor against the centrally disposed needles upon which last formed loopsof the instep portion are now suspended. As the sinkers 7 are retractedby means well known, the cover points descend into .pressing engagementwith the heel tab needles 6 and slide between the last formed loops 5 ofthe fabric and the needle beards as the needles move down; but theselast formed heel tab loops 5 are not carried away from the heel tabneedles by the cover points, as in the narrowing or widening operationsof the device in Weissbach British Patent No. 227,594 of January 1922,for example, and deposited again. On thecontrary, said loops 5 continueto engage their respective. needles until knocked over, being strippedfrom the cover points when the latter move upwardly past the under edgesof the sinkers 7 which, as shown in Figure 3, have not yet retreatedrearwardly beyond the paths of the needles and the cover points. Whenthe parts have reached the relative positions indicated in Figure 4, thecover points are up and away from the needles and the sinkers and thelatter are withdrawn to their rearmost position. Meanwhile, as theforward ends of the sinkers retreated rearwardly past the path of theneedles, and as the latter continued to descend, the loops 5 wereknocked over and the new-laid loops 4 slid ofl? and passed through orinto said loops 5, or into the relative positions indicated in saidFigure 4, thus completing a heel tab course.

While the foregoing cycle of operation takes place in respect to theheel tab needles, a quite diiferent result occurs in connection With theinstep needles or those centrally positioned. They still retain the lastformed loops of the end of the leg portion; but when the yarns are laidfor knitting the heel tabs, no yarn is laid against the instep needles,as above stated. However, these needles as well as the heel tab needlesreciprocate up and down with the needle bar 13 and complete theirup-and-down cycle without engagement with the presser ends during heeltab knitting, as shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive. There being no coverpoints opposite the instep needles, the beards thereof are not depressedduring heel tab knitting, either by the presser edges or by the' coverpoint-s acting as pressers; and they, therefore, do not knock ofi' thelast formed loops of the instep. With the use of my improved apparatus,these inste loops are not deformed or unduly pulled or distorted by therepeated upand-down pulling of their needles, during knitting of theheel tabs, because the central portion of the knock-over bits 1, isdepressed so that the instep loops opposite or resting on bits 1" do notpull against the latter, as would be the case in normal operation, or asis the case with the heel tab loops operating normally in relation tothe heel tab needles is discontinued and the centrally positioned orinstep knock-over bits 1 are again restored to their normal position inline with the knock-over bits 1 by rotating sleeve 9 as previouslyindicated; Thus, by repositioningthe variousparts and again'feedin yarnto the instep needles, previously desci'i d as working up and downintheir loops, knitting of the instep and forward foot portions of thestocking may take place.

I claim:

1. In a hosiery lmitting machine'for forming the leg portion of astocking and then knitting heel tabs engaging with some of the lastformed'loops of said leg portion while the last formed loops of theinstep portion are held on their needles, the combination of a needlebar provided with a plurality of heel tab needles and a plurality ofinstep needles, a plurality of sinkers, a plurality of cover pointsmovable between said sinkers, into pressing engagement with the heel tabneedles and movable between said sinkers out of pressing engagement withsaid heel tab needles, knock-over bits arranged adjacent all theneedles, and means for moving those bits which are adjacent to saidinstep needles into inoperative position in relation to said instepneedles. I i

2. In a hosiery knitting machine, the combination of a needle barprovided with a set of needles for heel tab knitting and a set ofneedles for instep knitting, said sets being mounted for endwisereciprocating movement, a plurality of sinkers reciproeatabletransversely between said needles, cover points mounted to move betweenthe sinkers in one. direction into pressing engagement with' said heeltab needles and to move between the sinkers in the opposite directionout of pressing engagement with said heel tab needles, a plurality ofknock-over bits operatively related to said sets of needles, and meansfor retaining the knock-over bits of the set of instep needles ininoperative position while the remainder of said bits cooperate withsaid set of heel tab needles to knock over the heel tab loops.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CURT HILSOHER.

needles and the bits 1. And the instep loops are not stretched by anyto-and-fro motion of the needles because the needle bar, during heel tabknitting does not swing or rock to bring the needle beards against thepresser edges, but, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, only move up and downand out of contact with the presser edges or ends 12. I

After the desired length of heel tab has been completed, operation ofthe yarn guides positioned for feeding yarn to the heel tab

